Sunday, December 26, 2010

Hey everyone,it's Skylar and Brad.(:We will be making a NEW VIDEO, Not our Christmas one, a new one for YOU. The fans!! Ask us questions, comment us, and ask us ANYTHING YOU WANT (Unless it's insulting) and we will answer all of them . AS LONG AS THEY ARE QUESTIONS, not just random dumb posts.But ask us, really. I promise all will be answered, we will be making the video tomorrow afternoon, so hurry and ask soon!!Brad and Skylar.

85 comments:

Skylar, suppose there is a person who fills immeasurable asankyas of worlds with the seven treasures and accumulates it for the purpose of charity. And suppose there are good sons and good daughters who initiate the bodhicitta, keeping from within this sutra even just four lines of verse; receiving, upholding, reading, reciting, and for others giving extensive explanations of it. Their blessed virtue would overcome the other's. How would they make for other people extensive explanations? Without grasping the appearances of the absolute, without agitation. What is the reason?

What would a Zen Buddhist say about procrastination since they're very present focused. Could zen practice make us worse at passing up presentness and that joy for long-term gains. Are those two things, presentness and future planning compatible? Is a zen buddhist doomed to wander like a rootless bush? How did you overcome that or did you? Does thinking of past and future as false projection sabotage our efforts to improve ourselves in the objective sense?

Brad, I have a tendency to try to study "truths" by examining a survey of world religions. I find that they all in some way speak (or at least try!) to some aspect of of our existence. Are you at all familiar with an order of Catholic monks (unaffiliated with the Roman Church) called "The White-robed Monks of St. Benedict"? They're based out of San Francisco and also adhere to the teachings and practice of Soto Zen. Your thoughts?

Let us assume there are two boxes on a table. In one box, there is a relatively normal turtle; in the other, Adolf Hitler’s skull. You have to select one of these items for your home. If you select the turtle, you can’t give it away and you have to keep it alive for two years; if either of these parameters are not met, you will be fined $999 by the state. If you select Hitler’s skull, you are required to display it in a semi-prominent location in your living room for the same amount of time, although you will be paid a stipend of $120 per month for doing so. Display of the skull must be apolitical. Which option do you select?

A man walks into a bar and ask for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says thank you and leaves. Why did the man, who wanted a glass of water, say thank you after the bartender pulled a gun on him?

I've been wondering for a while: I appreciate that you go out of your way to emphasize that you're a normal guy with doubts and feelings just like the rest of us, but in a lot of your posts you've also written about making an effort to understand "what the universe wants you to do," or things to that effect. I've been dealing with some self-doubt and anxiety lately and the promise of being able to know what the freakin' UNIVERSE wants for me sounds very appealing right now. How does that...um...work, exactly?

Throughout your books you speak about the Hare Krishna monk Terry whom you liked. But when you found out that he was wanted for murder you thought he wasn't nice anymore. In Zen wrapped in karma you take up your own "scandals" and talk about that there are no leaders who are perfect. Because we cannot possibly be perfect. My question is why you dismiss this Terry-person because he possibly was involved in some murder investigation? From what I have understood, Kodo Sawaki was quite keen on propagating the killings of human beings? What are your thoughts on him?

I love your books by the way. Although my impression is that the book company forces you to write about 0dfx to make them more interesting. In my opinion, your books would be masterpieces if you just skipped the 0dfx parts. It was a little interesting when you wrote about it in the beginning, but I feel the story are just repeating themselves throughout all books. I would be much more interested in how your life looks now. And how your non-0dfx life has been.

I would like to know what you think of George Carlin. I know, "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." And probably brain-dead people discuss dead people. But whenever I watch any videos of him I have to think of your book "Hardcore Zen" (which is great by the way). His view of society and religion is sceptical, ironic and just... real. I haven't seen, heard or read many people yet who can make me laugh in such a true way, to be honest he and you are the only ones to me yet.

I'll leave some links of records on YouTube:

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o]George on Religion[/url]

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScDfYzMEEw]George on "saving the planet"[/url]

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIraCchPDhk]George on voting[/url]

"In my opinion, your books would be masterpieces if you just skipped the 0dfx parts."

While I wouldn't go so far as to use the word "masterpiece," I do feel that mentions of the old man music stuff is silly, possibly self-indulgent and a waste of space. I do prefer your idea of book company influence to mention the old music to my thought that Brad is merely trying to cross-promote his stuff.

I know you understand/know Japanese pretty good and have read through Dogen quite a bit,so you might be able to answer, I had a thought, that in English when we translate "shin" we are forced to choose "mind" or "heart".It seems that most often when Japanese Zen material has been translated into English "mind" has been chosen, and I'm thinking that this has given a one sided view for many of Zen Buddhism (as if it doesn't focus on compassion as Vietnamese Zen does or other schools of Buddhism).And this has given us a one sided understanding not only of Zen, but even for us in the Soto lineage, it gives us a one sided view of Dogen zenji, as we miss the depth of meaning he meant/understood by terms like "Bodai Shin""On Giving Rise to the Enlightened Mind" (Hotsu Bodai Shin), which could/should perhaps also be understood as "On Giving Rise to Bodhichitta" (Bodai shin).

Also Zen is said (variously translated)A special transmission outside the scriptures,Not founded upon words and letters;By pointing directly to [one's] mind (or direct pointing mind to mind)It lets one see into [one's own true] nature and [thus] attain Buddhahood.

even in these lines are we not losing something in translation when we don't understand that "shin" also means "heart"??

this is an interview that pointed it out to me:the Karmapa: The technology of the heart at 10:45he mentions "heart to heart and mind to mind"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkKhI6-t40w

(At the risk of being pompous again) Good question! I hope Brad gets to that one.

Dogen looks in an interesting way at the whole area of 'compassion' in Shobogenzo Kannon where he never directly broaches any subject like 'compassion'. He explores something more fundamental as the function of Kannon, something intuitive and naturally manifesting/manifest (rather than some lofty ideal, for example).

Here's the Nishijima/Cross intro to that chapter:

"Kannon is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese name of the Bodhisattva called Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit. Avalokitesvara is described in the Lotus Sutra as someone who always comes to this world to save a man or woman who cries for help. Kannon literally means "Regarder of Sounds," and this expresses the character of Avalokitesvara who always responds to the cries for help of living beings in this world. Thus, Avalokitesvara is usually thought of as a symbol of compassion. But Master Dogen understood Avalokitesvara as a symbol of a life force that is more fundamental to living beings than compassion. So in this chapter he explained the true meaning of Avalokitesvara, quoting a famous conversation about Avalokitesvara between Master Ungan Donjo and Master Dogo Enchi."

The famous exchange mentioned starts with this wonderful line:

Ungan Donjō once asked Dōgo Enchi, “What use does the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion make of his many hands and eyes?”

Dōgo replied, “He is like someone in the night who reaches behind himself, his hand groping for a pillow.”

...Master Dogen, as far as I read it, is not negating 'compassion', but is framing it in a more real and direct way. I have always found it to be a very valid perspective and a bit of a grounding tonic to one of the biggest Buddhist buzzwords and all its accumulated ideology.

1. Aren't these words (Rujing's) indicative of koan usage within the Soto tradition?

Thoughts in the mind are confused and scattered; they’re clinging. How can they be controlled? In the story about Zhaozhou and whether or not a dog has buddha nature, there is an iron broom named Wu. If you use it to sweep thoughts, they just become more numerous. Then you frantically sweep harder, trying to get rid of even more thoughts. Day and night, you sweep with all your might, furiously working away. All of a sudden, the broom breaks into vast emptiness, and you instantly penetrate the myriad differences and thousand variations of this universe.

2. What do you think of koan introspection, or any other thing buddhists of different traditions do?

I have a question... for Brad, sry Skylar. Why aren't you updating the Porno Buddhist webbie-bloggie? Being a victim of abuse and a Buddhist I was really pleased when I saw someone was taking on this topic, then I saw the last published date was from 2008 and well... I understand that it may be to much for you to take on, hell, its too much for me most days. Anyways, I hope to see a new entry soon. Good luck, man!

Have you read "How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe?" I've read it and I think I think is one of the most fascinating books I've read (and I read some pretty weird stuff). Basically, it is a Buddhist time travel novel. I have read your books and I would be interested in your thoughts on this book. It is by Charles Yu.